


Toy SOLDIERs

by CMQ31



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: AU, Age Regression/De-Aging, Cloud Being A Mother Chocobo, Crack, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, M/M, Zack Being Irresponsible
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 10:53:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5583106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMQ31/pseuds/CMQ31
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zack was supposed to be helping him, not texting him saying that he went on a 'mission' in Costa del Sol to check if the sun was hot enough to tan.</p><p>But after all, it was all Kunsel's fault. </p><p>Or</p><p>In which Cloud is up for a challenge of his life - taking care of the three SOLDIER Firsts in the form of children and his first mission is to not to let the President or anyone else in the building know about this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toy SOLDIERs

**Author's Note:**

> I just completed the original FF7 on my PS4 a few days ago and I became obsessed with the game's story. I'm more of an FF6 fan since it was my first FF game and the main protagonist and I share the same name, but I have yet to complete it nor do I have any intention to contribute any fics to that fanbase YET.

"Cloud! Seph just pulled my hair!" An angry 10-year old Genesis hollered from the other room. Cloud grimaces at his annoyingly high-pitched voice, a significant contrast to Genesis' older version's voice. Angeal seemed content with his juice box and an issue of 'The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys', a comic book Cloud had found after venturing into Zack's locker when he was looking for some sort of entertainment for three (little) SOLDIERs. Angeal simply rolls his eyes at the sound of another vase falling into its demise and continues to read the comic book. Cloud, however, was pissed off. Angeal had been a good kid so far, polite, quiet, and mature for an 11-year old. Genesis and Sephiroth, however, were absolute nuisances.

And Cloud thought the silver haired General was a horrible man.

He was even worse as a 12-year old child.

Same goes for Genesis.

"I wouldn't have done that if you didn't drop your juice box on mine!" Sephiroth yelled back. There was another loud crash - probably Cloud's picture frames - and the sound of Sephiroth's effort on trying to manhandle the large Masamune with his small hands. He could also hear Genesis trying to impale Sephiroth with the Rapier, though, he was also too weak to carry the sword despite it being smaller than the Masamune.

Angeal looked up from his comic and gives the older - for now - blonde a sympathetic look. Cloud just shook his head in defeat. He leans against the kitchen counter and his eyes darted to the clock hanging on the wall. "I should probably check on them..." Angeal sighs as he closes the comic book. He jumps off the chair and enters the living room; he slightly tilts his head to the left to avoid the stuffed Midgar Zolom coming at his way.

Zack was supposed to be _helping_ him, not texting him saying that he went on a 'mission' on Costa del Sol to check if the sun was hot enough to tan.

Damn him.

Cloud made sure to pray to Gaia every night for a giant monster to emerge from the ocean and destroy Costa del Sol so Zack wouldn't have a reason to come there and fucking help him with the moody Firsts.

Sephiroth had quite the contrast to his adult self's personality. _General_ Sephiroth was calm, serious - too serious, sometimes - , hardworking, and didn't have time for fun and jokes. However, little Sephiroth was nothing like the General, he was a moody and an overly emotional child, although he still had his calm personality. He and Genesis tend to bicker a lot that usually leads to a fight in the living room. Cloud thanked Gaia that Genesis had lost the ability to cast any spell, otherwise, Zack's apartment would be burned to the ground.

Little Genesis was no different than little Sephiroth, only ten times more annoying than adult Genesis and little Seph combined. He threatened to cast Flare or Ultima every 5 minutes when things did not go his way. Cloud felt like dropping little Gen into a small box, wrap it up, and ship it all the way to Wutai where he shall never return.

Angeal was like a hot chocolate during a cool winter by the fireplace. He was well behaved, polite, and the complete opposite of little Genesis and Sephiroth. Little Angeal helped Cloud with 'his' chores while his boyfriend was away on a 'super important mission'. This Angeal was much like Commander Hewley. He expected Sephiroth to act the same as Angeal, seeing that both adult versions of them had similar personalities. Cloud had never been so wrong.

He checked the mirror to see if there was any grey hair starting to grow. He asked himself, 'how on Gaia did this happen?' 'What had he done to deserve this?'

"That's it! I'm going to cast Ultima on you!" He hears Genesis' angry voice piercing the room's atmosphere. He hears Genesis mutter some words only to stop in the middle and went blank. "Where the hell are my materia!?"

But after all, it was all Kunsel's fault.

**

_4 Days Earlier..._

Genesis was angry.

But he is always angry on a daily basis and it is basically his default mood. But right now, he was _angry_. There was a reason why he threw his empty cup across the room; the coffee made him moody. He trusted his childhood friend that he would use the usual coffee Genesis prefers, so maybe it wasn't because of the coffee. Angeal wouldn't betray him or prank him, would he...? That was unless the Puppy was involved. although Zack Fair wasn't a morning person and it wasn't possible for him to partake in the prank theory. So, no, Angeal did not betray him.

He wished that he were a female; it would be a lot easier to find out what was wrong with him that way. Either he was pregnant or having the time of the month. But getting pregnant would mean that 'he' has had sex. But when was the last time did he...? No! Genesis shook his strange thoughts away. The thought of getting pregnant and periods...now, where did that come from? Genesis internally shuddered.

He should think about something else that isn't weird or disturbing...like the important meeting the President announced that will take place in 2 weeks. The company is about to enter its 50th anniversary, meaning the President was turning old, and with that, his son would have to take his place soon.

Genesis grimaces at the thought of young Rufus sitting on his father's desk; Rufus was an unlikable person, according to Genesis' books. He met him once, and didn't end well. His matureness was sucked out of him in the speed of light when Rufus made a sarcastic remark towards his favorite poetry. Both Sephiroth and Angeal had to hold him back from _castrating_ the future President. Someone has got to be insane to have the courage to mock LOVELESS in front of Commander Rhapsodos of all people. Rufus Shinra was one of them and managed to land himself into Genesis' blacklist. Genesis felt like lashing out to Rufus once again for his mistake in the past. His stored away anger boiled up again and he developed a need to see Rufus and actually castrate him. Genesis realized he was taking this too far; LOVELESS may be his life obsession, but his protectiveness over the said poetry has gone too far. Genesis stared at his gloved palms, since when did he hold grudges against people for merely - he forced out this word in his thoughts - mocking his favorite poetry? He had long forgotten about Rufus' mistake and there was no reason for him to get angry about it again.

" _My soul, corrupted by vengeance_ ," he spoke to himself. " _Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey_." Reciting quotes from his favorite poetry refreshes his mind and calms him down. His copy of LOVELESS had taken the role of his 'safety blanket' like every child has. The day his foster 'father' handed him the book, he knew that the small book would become an important part of him, his character. Surely, he thought Angeal would also be interested with LOVELESS, but the older preferred other things. Angeal had his obsessions as well, he enjoys bringing home plants or as Genesis likes to call them, the 'Bug Magnets', nursing them, and eventually watching them grow.

He did not understand why Angeal had such interest in things that brings suffering to him. Back in Banora, Genesis wasn't a big fan of plants either despite the environment was crawling with plants. Where there are plants, there are always insects. Those Gaiadamned creatures, crawling in hidden places as they like without a second thought. Although, he didn't want to admit he was still utterly traumatized about the cockroach that crawled into his shirt when he was younger.

His feeling of disgust turned into fear, and fear turned into despair. What if cockroaches decided to grow human brains and take over the world? In a world like Gaia, anything was possible. He could imagine the cockroaches marching all the way to Midgar and demand Commander Rhapsodos as a forced volunteer for their sacrifice. A mental image of him being dragged away by the roaches from his comforting office chair and onto the top of a temple flashed before him. He felt a tear roll down his cheek.

Tears? Was the great Commander Rhapsodos _crying_!?

No! Genesis refused to be seen like this. He quickly wiped away the stray tear and slammed his fist against his desk. Why on Gaia would he cry about the thought of roaches taking over the world? 'This has gone too far' Genesis thinks. He guessed he was suffering from some sort of depression that drove him to be vulnerable of scary thoughts; no matter how ridiculous. He made sure to make an appointment with a shrink later, maybe they would understand what he was going through.

Taking another sip from his coffee, he decided to stop thinking and start working. He opens the cabinet and grabs a bundle of his paperwork. Sephiroth had told him that it was due by tomorrow but he intends to finish it earlier. He grabs a pen and opens its cap. The tip of the pen made contact with the paper, Genesis slowly drags it into the intended direction and began to write. He frowns when the pen left no ink behind its trail, and then, he pushed the pen harder against the paper and tried to drag it across the paper again. Still, there was no sign of ink. He grew irritated and tapped the pen repetitively against the paper, hoping for a small sign of ink. But it seems like it wasn't his lucky day.

He angrily drags the pen in a dangerous speed across the paper with a lot of pressure.

There was ink.

Across the torn paper.

Genesis stood up, screamed, and kicked the wall.

**

Somewhere in the lower floors, a young man jolted awake from his sleep. "Did you hear that, Spike?" Zack suddenly says. His younger friend tilts his head curiously at the older man. Zack realizes Cloud did not have enhanced senses and shook his head. "Never mind. You probably didn't hear that..." Zack smiles at the sight of Cloud yawning again, he found the action quite adorable, although the younger man did not comprehend why he would think so. Zack did not feel the slightest guilt for sleeping with - and dating - an infantryman, although it was against the rules, he could no longer give a damn on what Director Lazard would have to say. Zack had thought about ratting out Angeal and Genesis' closeness, but would rather avoid having the auburn haired commander 'castrate' him; a quote Genesis often used.

His lover shook his head at him. "No, I did." He carefully slipped into one of Zack's old shirts and his training pants. "It's just that...wasn't that Commander Rhapsodos' voice?" Cloud asks. Zack's smile faded and his face paled. What could provoke the Commander this early? Did Angeal forget to make him his morning coffee? Did Genesis get demoted? Was Rufus poking fun on his favorite poetry? Zack was curious, yes, but he'd rather not go anywhere near him for now.

"It sounded like him." Zack absent-mindedly says. "Probably Angeal forgot to make him coffee or something, not sure. I do know that we should probably stay away from him." He looks at Cloud for confirmation.

"Agreed."

Zack smiles and gets up from bed as well. With a smug grin, he turns to his alarm clock and turns it off the second it was about to ring. "Finally got to beat this little guy..." He says proudly before getting to his feet. Cloud had already left for the kitchen to look for something to eat; a grumble from Zack's stomach tells him that both he and Cloud had the same thing on their minds.

Zack frowns and stared at his stomach. His gut feeling was acting up again. He sensed that something really bad is going to happen soon. And by 'soon' it probably meant in less than 24 hours. He swallows his saliva and turns to his clock. It was still six in the morning, he had time to prevent whatever's going to happen...unless it meant Genesis throwing a fit and showing hostility to everyone in the building. Hopefully, no Ultima spells will be cast today.

He made his way into the kitchen in a plain black shirt and sweatpants. He sleepily rubbed his eyes before slumping against the counter. He eyes Cloud's hand as they work on pouring milk into the cereal bowl. Cloud slightly turns his head and looks past his shoulder. "Want some?"

"What are those?" Zack questions.

Cloud grabs the box and shakes it invitingly at Zack. "Chocobo Crunch. _Better eat 'em before your he sees 'em_." Cloud quoted from the annoying commercial that seemed to be stuck on the television the past few days. Zack scowls at Cloud's poor impersonation of the iconic bobble headed and big-eyed Chocobo's high-pitched voice. Cloud chuckles and placed the box away and carries his breakfast to the dining table. He grabs a spoon from the sink, wiping it with his shirt, and pulls out a chair for him to sit on.

"That was horrible, Strife." Zack comments. "But give me some of those." He sprang up from his slumped position and snatches the cereal box. "Cloud, my gut feeling is telling me something."

Cloud simply rolls his eyes, "I still think your 'gut feeling' is something you made up. The only time it was right was when you predicted Reeve falling from the 2nd floor, but that was it."

Zack frowns, "Hey, he could have died if I didn't catch him though."

Cloud turns around from his seat. "You wouldn't have landed yourself in the hospital if letting Reeve fall on you count as 'catching'. He's probably had it with this place, thus the reason why he left Midgar for Nibelheim." Cloud patted himself in the back proudly for saying his hometown's name.

"He says he'll be back. He's just visiting 'someone'. Probably his family...or a lover." Zack says suggestively. "Who do you think caught Tuesti's heart?" Zack always felt like everyone's love life was his business. Sephiroth warned him to stick his 'snout' in his own love life instead of everyone else's. But Cloud could agree that playing 'guess the lover' was in fact, thrilling.

"I don't feel comfortable about this conversation." Cloud groans. But in his head, he bet that Reeve found a young Nibel lady and they both got it off; or if possible, a man.

"Of course you don't..."

**

"I believe Commander Rhapsodos is in need of your assistance." Director Lazard states. Sephiroth thanked Kunsel for delivering and making his morning coffee before the Second Class left the room. The silver haired General's gaze fell on the bored man sitting next to him with a coffee on his palms as well. Although Angeal wasn't actually drinking his coffee, but merely staring at it, as if he were expecting Bahamut to suddenly pop out of his coffee.

Sephiroth decided that Angeal did not want to be bothered and answered Lazard a simple "Oh?"

Lazard re-read his email. "It appears he marked his e-mail as a 'distress call' and only requested the General himself or Commander Hewley to immediately assist him with his...problem." The Director spoke. "It seems like a serious matter, General. On a normal day, Commander Rhapsodos would usually call you through his PHS instead of giving me the role of a proxy. He refuses to give me further detail. He did add a note saying that he's 'suffering'."

Sephiroth sighs. What could Genesis possibly suffer from in the morning? Did Rufus decide to pop up and mock on him? Rufus may have a mischievous nature like Genesis, but like the latter, they were both professional. Rufus only mocked his favorite poetry to see if he could see the immature side of Genesis and Spehiroth was aware of that. Genesis was too caught up in the heat of the moment to notice his intentions. Angeal doesn't seem like he would be moving out of his seat anytime sooner, so Sephiroth decided to take matters to his own hand. He sips the coffee - an unfamiliar taste indeed - before placing it on the table in front of him. "Angeal, I will check in Genesis now. You are allowed to join in anytime."

Angeal snorts, "Maybe sooner. After I've had my morning coffee. I don't wish to face a cranky Genesis in the morning." Sephiroth nodded before exiting the room.

For some reason, Sephiroth felt...moody. He started to resent Genesis for ruining a good morning with his daily bitch fit. But he knew that the Commander only threw fits when: a) Someone dared to mock his favorite poetry, b) Something was wrong with his coffee, c) Zack accidentally breaking something in his office, or d) all of the above. Genesis was nowhere near immature, though he was cunning, sly, short tempered, and quite flirty. Immature and moody weren't in the list.

Now Sephiroth was curious.

He found himself standing in front of Genesis' office. He ignores his slight headaches despite it being quite intriguing since SOLDIERs do not get headaches. He knocks on the door four times. "Genesis. It's me, Sephiroth." He heard a few shuffles and a loud 'thud' before he hears Genesis locking the door. "Genesis, why did you lock the door?" Maybe something happened to his face and he grew self-conscious, causing him to lock himself away from everyone, fearing they would judge him? Sephiroth was in no place to judge Genesis' face. The younger SOLDIER may be prideful and arrogant, but Sephiroth understood that they were to cover up his true self and were just to perfect his image as a SOLDIER First Class.

"Get in here!" Genesis sounded...off...maybe he was sick? Sephiroth didn't have time to register when Genesis' gloved hand abruptly pulled him into the room. His eyes were closed as he groans and rubs his temples. He absolutely had no time for his antics.

"Genesis, if this is...oh" Sephirtoh was lost for words as he stared at the shorter...er man...no, _kid_ in an oversized red coat and SOLDIER uniform standing in front of him. Being a SOLDIER First Class, Sephiroth had seen strange creatures, from Gold Chocobos to Nibel Dragons, but never before in his life he would see Midgar's best materia expert in a form of a child in oversized clothing articles. The kid's face was beet red, he had his arms crossed over his chest, and his gaze refusing to meet Sephiroth's. Sephiroth squeezes his eyes closed. This must be a dream, he thought. He opens his eyes again and the auburn haired kid was still standing in front of him.

"No Seph, you aren't dreaming. It's _me_." The kid says. He saw doubt in Sephiroth's eyes. He narrows his before his lips moved to speak again. " _Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess, we seek it thus, and take to the sky - ripples form on the water's surface...the wandering soul knows no rest._ "

Sephiroth was speechless.

"LOVELESS, act I." But not completely speechless. "It is you."


End file.
